bravenewworld | Soulfasting Mingle

Entry tags:

Soulfasting Mingle

Who: EVERYONE
What: Soul Fast
When: During Soul Fast
Where: All over Ninetails Vale and in people's houses, etc.
Summary: The Celebrations of Soul Fast Begin!

It's that time of year again, and all throughout Union and in particular the Ninetales Vale, celebrations are beginning. A festival celebrating the passage of another year, of remembering and honoring the dead, and of placating particularly violent spirits has begun. Soulfasting, an old Union tradition, is one of the most popular holidays celebrated, with the Ninetales Vale being overrun with people of all ages.

Children scamper through the streets of the Vale in masks and costumes, begging for candy, while surly teenagers do the same and occasionally play pranks, and adults celebrate in a variety of fashions. Elaborate, highly fashionable costumes are all the rage, and even the nobility slips out into the Vale for a bit of fun. It's not exactly a popular destination most of the year, given the high concentrations of Dark and Ghost-types but during the festival it's most definitely in vogue and teeming with people all happy to help revitalize the area for a week.

The sounds of music drift through the air, celebratory tunes, dirges, jigs, and tunes for all ages. From the Kurain school on it's hill overlooking most of the Vale, a pipe organ solemnly plays out traditional tunes, and is surprisingly cheery for a ghost school. Across the neighborhood on another hill, Hikawa Shrine has it's doors wide open to welcome visitors, with decorations of all sorts set out.

Games are set up at both locations, including Apple Bobbing, Ducklett Pond raffles, and Pin the Scroll on the Spiritomb, though there are others set up all over the Vale's plazas. Skeeball, Target Shooting, Bell-and-Hammer games, and perhaps most strangely a “Whack-the-Diglett” that's been possessed by one of the local ghosts to give the little wooden Digletts faces all hideously angry ones. Eating contests, Pokemon Battle Circles, a Haunted House (with real ghosts!) and dozens and dozens of fortune telling stands all further add to a carnival atmosphere that even the dead can enjoy!

Lanterns and faux Spinarak webs hang from every lamppost and awning, and food stalls line the streets as vendors ply their wares. Food from all over is available, and it all seems to come together around a central square between the two hills. A stage has been set up, with musicians from all over the known world called in to show their stuff. There are dance tunes from Caldera, Union Pop and Jazz songs at work, setting crowds on fire. Sanctuary has sent a full orchestra to play various classical pieces, while Citadel's famous woodwinds and tribal drums surprise and delight. And towards the end of the day, a band from Glacier comes on stage. Their music starts out slow and ambient, but after a few sets they set up electric guitars and the gloves come off. A folk metal concert, complete with an armored warrior-woman doing the vocals and several of the soldiers from the battle weeks prior (some still bandaged) backing her up. It might be a bit shocking, but some of the youth are definitely getting into it...

And then night falls, and the party atmosphere becomes a little quieter. Plays, family meals, Ghost-story tellings, and more subdued activities become the norm though there's still a contingent of rowdies at the heart of the celebration. It's then that the ghosts really come out to play, slipping through walls to greet relatives or tease revelers. For the most part they seem friendly but not always. As usual, some specters of ill-repute have slipped in among the friendly ones, and they're making trouble. Good thing you have a Warp Band to call an exorcist, right?

((OOC: This is a general mingle log, feel free to put up your own top levels and tag around! Welcome to Soulfasting, everyone! We hope you enjoy =D ))

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

[She shrugs a little, though starts moving forward, keeping the area lit around them, since those lampposts in the area really are of no help in the ghastly gloom.]

There's probably a shop we can slip into around here that has more light, unless you want to leave the Vale completely.

Whichever you'd prefer at this point, honestly. [Waver looked around the scene, thinking.] It'll just be Saber and I at the house tonight, and neither of us know the traditions in Union that well.

[She shrugs a little, for now leading them toward one of the nearby buildings.] I can't say I do either. I've studied it, but it seems like some of the older traditions are outdated. The revelry does tend to stay within the Vale at least.

That does seem to be the case...

So, we can either leave the Vale and miss the rest of the holiday, or stay and see how Contemporary Unionites celebrate it. So long as there isn't anyone out scaring people, things should be fine.

Even if someone tries to bring mischief our way, we'll be fine. [She turns her head back to face him with a smile.] We do have to sleep at some point, but it's not nearly late enough to head back for that. Although... you haven't noticed it getting colder at all, have you?

Because of the season, or the holiday?

[It was autumn. The weather was supposed to get a little colder...althought there was a subtle chill in the air that he could only attribute to spooks.]

Because of the holiday visitors, yes. It's a good indicator if a spirit is getting too close without them giving a warning. Although given the amount of them in the general area, it might be difficult to tell if an individual is planning on giving trouble...

Hm. You're right on that; there's so many in the Vale right now that it's hard to tell.

It's just something to keep in mind. Knowing what to prepare yourself for can help against being startled too badly. [She's not trying to make him more nervous; she can just be too practical for her own good sometimes. Even if there's always the realization that some things you really can't prepare for.

The strange little shop building is steps away now, though it's as dimly lit as the outside. There are enough voices around to tell that it isn't closed or abandoned, at least.]

Well, do you want to see what they have here?

[Unfortunately, it was easy to frighten Waver...but he nodded in agreement with her suggestion.]

Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

[It was lit up-- and, thus, safe.]

[Raine nods, and moves forward to pull the door open to lead the way inside. The floor inside is misty, as if someone had purposely altered the terrain for the shop's atmosphere.

There's something almost deceptive about the way it appears to be mostly empty, aside from the large containers of 'free candy for the children' set up on tables not too far away from the entrance. There's another display, with spell tags and some odd trinkets, set a little further back.]

Now this is an odd shop...

....I've heard that Ninetales Vale is where the mediums and people who commune with Ghosts in Union reside, so places like this are hardly a surprise.

[He had wandered into a similar shop once before and had always wanted to ask one of the local residents to give him a tour of the neighborhood. Under the light of day.]

Still, it seems like they're focused more on the atmosphere than the products themselves. It seems less practical?

[A few more steps into the deceptively empty room would reveal... that the 'emptiness' of the room was a false wall, with a space that led to a maze-like path.]

--Oh dear,

[Waver muttered, staring at the winding pathway. He had dealt with such a labyrinth once before...

And, like the last time, here he was without a length of rope.]

I think we have the answer to your question. They were preparing us for something like this. [He shook his head.] They're just like the mediums in the stories-- always fond of unnecessary tricks and shows.

So it seems. [She frowns slightly, with a shake of her head.]

Since they've expended the effort, we might as well take a look around. Unless you have reservations.

[There's a slight whooshing noise from behind them. Turning around would only reveal that the opening had vanished.]

[He did have reservations....not that any of them would be heard now.]

I can always teleport us out if it gets too bad. I think.

[Now, if the space had a power-dampening effect, that would be another story.]

It's always good to have a backup plan. Ready?

[There was something a little compelling about a mystery. Raine starts moving forward. Some of the smoky walls seem to hold shelves adorned with various trinkets, unlit candelabras. Dreamcatchers... and spiders webs. So far, she still seems to be able to keep the area softly lit up as well, though the effect seems to dull after a few more steps.]

--Take a break, Raine.

[A few uttered words later, and a Flash spell lit the area. It didn't have much use, but he preferred keeping it onhand specifically for situations like this.

He stayed close to Raine, knowing that the radius of vision that they had wasn't terribly wide with the effects of his spell. It needed some work....but for now it would suffice.]

-- Ah. Nice job.

[It might be better for Waver's confidence if she held back, anyway. It also allows her to give the shelves more of an inspection, though nothing is standing out to her as anything particularly unique. Questionable, maybe, but did real channelers or spirit Pokemon really feel anything from these items...?]

I wonder if they have any items that could be considered relics here... that would be fascinating.

Who knows? This city has five-hundred years of history that the rest of the world doesn't know.

[He joined Raine, angling the light so the two of them could get a better look at the artifacts.]

It's entirely possible that the channelers might feel something. There is a kind of ghost pokemon that resides within a stone, so anything is possible.

So there could be more to these items than they appear...

[Which makes them immediately more interesting and not something to be dismissed no matter how garish.

And here come the sparkles.] Now were they brought up by delvers, or passed down through family trees... can you make out any of these inscriptions?! Bring the light closer!

We'd need to find someone from Ninetales Vale to answer questions like that!

[But he closed in anyway, curious himself about what they might possibly be able to learn from such things.]

But I'd think it's some combination of both theories-- Union really lives up to it's name, like that.

We'll have to shake someone down to know for certain. Back home we would never have items like these on display for anyone to interact with...

[There are several items displayed, a flat stone, a large bell, and an elaborate candlestick, surrounded by bowls of beads that glow in the light.]

... here! It's an ancient script, but with the state the items are in, translation will be difficult. 'Keeping safe'? 'To keep safe'? Depending on the arrangement, the meaning could be entirely different as well... is that 'for', or 'from'? Hmm...

...I think someone is starting to see why Union is so special.

[It was really interesting to watch, as he knew both perspectives very well. He leaned closer, peering at the characters as well...]

Do you think it's referring to the item itself, or whomever is holding it? Or, maybe they're supposed to be keeping something sealed...

Hmm... if it was meant to have something sealed in it, it would be careless to leave on display unless the seal was already broken, unless they were unaware of it... or it could be the opposite, and function as some sort of ward instead. [There were almost too many possibilities with the limited information, still it was better to go through them and narrow them down. At least that was the rationalization of sparkly scholarly curiosity...]

Ah - look, Waver! There are more characters here, though they're much more worn away... to guide? Or is that guard ...